Player: WR Roman Wilson
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: While spring practice reports deserve several degrees of caution, such reports have not placed Roman Wilson in the best light. The rookie wide receiver doesn’t sound as though he has stood out—even physically. He is not the biggest receiver, but some feel that he needs to put on a few pounds before training camp.
The Steelers waited until the third round to draft a wide receiver after trading starter Diontae Johnson. Roman Wilson is the man they came away with, but he has a long way to go to prove himself. That’s hardly a surprise in light of the fact that he’s a rookie, but spring reports did not shine the best light on him.
At least visually, reporters such as Ray Fittipaldo came away feeling that Wilson is undersized. He is not the biggest wide receiver in the class, but even photos do make him look pretty small. I admit a time or two I mistook him for Calvin Austin III. Hopefully that just means more Simba celebrations with Broderick Jones when he finds the end zone.
Because make no mistake, nothing anybody has to say in May and June means a pile of crap when it comes to a rookie wide receiver. Theoretically, quick wide receivers should more easily thrive in a May padless setting, but that’s never universally true. Wilson is still just beginning his career, and he’s taking in lots of teaching right now.
Like we talked about regarding QB Justin Fields, the Steelers are stripping down Wilson’s mechanics at the moment. In other words, what reporters are seeing is growing pains, unlearning one thing while trying to master another.
So if Wilson didn’t stand out during the spring and separate himself like some might have hoped, well, then that’s just the reality of the situation. He has ample time to prove himself once the Steelers get to Latrobe. Right now there is a wide-open competition for that second receiver job after George Pickens, and he is in the thick of it.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
